Lisa started with symptoms way back in 1986 and wasn’t diagnosed with Crohn’s until 2003. Yes, 17 years later! She has been a trooper in going through 6 different surgeries while being a single mom to 3 great kids.

Unfortunately, she has had a hard time with healthcare, like many other people that deal with Crohn’s. Since she has had issues with healthcare, she has basically had active Crohn’s for the better part of 15 years with the exception of the 3 times she was pregnant. She is restricted to dealing with her symptoms with over the counter medications and vitamins.

Lisa battles with extreme fatigue and pain which makes simple daily tasks seem huge. Crohn’s is a lot more than going to the bathroom a lot while in a flare. The other thing that she is battling is keeping her mental health from making symptoms worse. A lot of times, crohnnies will deal with mental challenges and depression because of this disease which a lot of people don’t even think about. Most of us will just get through the day and not show it, but the depression and pain is there. It not only affects us, but it can also affect loved ones and their quality of life.

Lisa has felt that not being able to work and provide for her family has really held her back in life. Like most crohnnies, it will affect enjoying social events. We always have to be cognizant of where the nearest bathroom is while in a flare.

People that aren’t close to you have a hard time understanding all of the above so sometimes, it is difficult to maintain relationships with anyone other than immediate family. She refuses, like all of us, to give up. We just power through the day like any normal person and will just crash at the end of the day when our head hits the pillow.

Lisa is another reason I run.

Want to help find a cure? Please help me get to my new goal of $2500 and support me and my ‘crohnnies’ help find a cure and run this marathon together.

You can donate here in support the CCFA.